


Phoenix

by MaritheFangirl



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 16:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15343845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaritheFangirl/pseuds/MaritheFangirl
Summary: In the city that never sleeps, a young girl with a mysterious and dangerous power lives on the streets. After a freak accident, Bri is found by the agent Natasha Romanoff. Bri agrees to go with Natasha to help locate the Tesseract, but Bri has plans of her own concerning SHEILD. She's determined to find out who she is, and why she has this power that she fears more than anything else. Can Bri be reborn, or will her dark past put her endanger of losing everything?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an older work of mine, back when I first started watching Marvel movies. Thought I'd finally get around to posting it on here as well!

“What you are seeing now is the wreckage caused by this fire. It has devastated the apartment, and the surrounding area. Police and firemen are still unsure of what caused this fire. This fire was far wilder than a simple oven fire, though that’s what experts are claiming it was. Do you have anything more on the story?” the reporter turned to the officer beside her.  
He sighed, “The fire started in room 137, which is remarkably high to spread to all of the apartment building. We examined to area after the fire department put it out, and there was nothing that could have started it. The oven was off, as was the microwave. No small appliances were found left on, no cigarettes.” Explained the police officer patiently.  
“So, everyone is baffled by this occurrence. How many survivors are there?” asked the reporter, brushing hair out her eyes, jamming the microphone in the officer’s face.  
He glanced at the charred building, “Well, we still have people looking inside, but we’ve only found one so far. Ironically, she was in the apartment where the fire started with her family.”  
The cameraman swerved to the back of an ambulance, where a young six year old sat, an orange blanket wrapped over her shoulders. Her face emotionless, but her hands shaking. Her hair was pulled into pigtails by pink ribbons. The reporter looked at her, waiting for her chance to interview, but the police held up his hand. “She’s shaken up at the moment, and she hasn’t been in the talkative mood. She’s in shock, and should be left alone. The only thing we know about her is that her name in Brianna.” He said.  
The reporter nodded, and turned to the camera, “There you have it folks, one survivor from this blaze, families ripped apart. Stayed tuned for more on this story.”  
The camera’s cut to commercial, and the reporter groaned, “Water…” she called, and someone brought her a bottle. As she drank, she glanced over at the young girl. “When will she be available for interview?” she asked.  
Her cameraman glanced at his notes, “Probably not for a while, Mary. She’s just a kid, and her family just died. Back on air in 1 minute.”  
Mary the reporter nodded, “She was right at the scene too…How the fire started? There must have been something left on…” She trailed off.  
The cameraman checked his notes again, “Looks like she had a brother, they found him in the apartment. Maybe he was playing with something, and it caught fire.” He shrugged, “Or maybe this’ll be one of those unexplainable mysteries of New York.”  
Mary scowled, “No, it’s our duty to get to the bottom of this. They should have a report on her soon…”  
“Back on air in 3…2…1…”  
Mary turned to the camera, “Welcome back, we are here standing in the rubble…”

 

A police officer came up to Brianna. He knelt down to meet her eyes. “Hey kiddo, can you tell us how the fire started? It would really help us out if you did.” He said kindly, but there was a hardness in his eyes.  
Brianna looked at him, and she swallowed. She slowly shook her head.  
“Are ya sure? ‘Cause it started in your apartment.” He said, annoyed.  
“Hey, Dave, lay off her. She’s just a kid.” Said his partner roughly.  
“She’s was there when the fire started. We have a right to suspect her!” snapped Dave, standing up.  
“She’s six.” He replied, “Are you really going to tell the news that a six year old caused the deaths of over 50 people?”  
“Well, maybe she did.”  
“Well maybe it was an accident!” he shot right back.  
“Then you think she could’ve.” Dave accused.  
“With what? There was nothing she could’ve used! Look at the evidence. There is none other than the fact that she was there.” Snapped the officer.  
Dave grabbed him by the shoulder, and pulled him out of ear shot. “Okay, you want evidence, Larry? I’ll give it to you. The kid was where the fire started, her whole family went down in flames, and she survived. And not only that, there’s not a mark on her!”  
Larry’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Not possible.”  
“Check the medical examination. She doesn’t have burn marks, she wasn’t even hurt. Her lungs should be damaged from the smoke inhalation, but they’re not. Something funny’s going on, and I want to know what is wrong with that kid.” Snapped Dave.  
“Dave, there’s nothing wrong with her.” Cried Larry, “You’re paranoid.”  
“Am I? Last time you said that, a murderer was set free.”  
Larry went quiet. “She’s six.” He muttered.  
“We’ll take her back to the station. Maybe it wasn’t her fault, but I think we can both agree that she can tell us something about it.” Dave said, looking at him in the eyes.  
Larry nodded, and turned back to the ambulance, and stopped short. “Uh, Dave…I think we have a problem.”  
Dave turned around slowly, “What is it now?”  
He froze at the sight.  
“Samuel…its Dave here.” He spoke into his radio, “Yeah, we have a situation. The survivor, y’know the six year old…Yeah, she’s gone. Vanished.” Dave winced as Samuel started yelling, “We turned our backs for a second. We’ll set up a report for her. She can’t have gone far. What’s that? Oh ok, I’ll do that now.”  
“Alright Larry, we’re heading on a little road trip.” he said, jumping into the front of the car. Larry got in the other side. “So, we’re going to look for her?”  
“She can’t be far. Stupid kid is probably scared.” Said Dave as he hit the gas and sped out of the car park.  
“Well, maybe she wouldn’t be if you hadn’t accused her of burning the whole place down!” cried Larry.  
Dave looked straight ahead, “Shut up.”

Mary the reporter glanced at the chaos behind her. “Turns out we have a new development in this story. The survivor, Brianna Russells, has run away. Here’s a picture of young Brianna now. If you see her, please call 866 - 907 - 3235.”  
The camera cut once again, and Mary took a deep breath. “Turns out there’s a lot more to this story than I thought.”

 

Brianna was running. She ran past a TV store, and saw her picture flash up for everyone to see, and then a telephone number telling them who to call. She swallowed, and kept running. When she got into a deserted alleyway, she started sobbing. All she wanted was her parents, and her brother. She didn’t want to be alone. Then she wiped her tears away, and glanced at the bin. If the police got her… they would find out everything. She grabbed a worn out jacket, and pulled it around her.  
Then she pulled out the pigtails, and let the ribbons flutter to the filthy ground. Carefully, she took a broken shard of glass from a beer bottle, and yanked at her hair. Soon, dirty blond hair filled the alleyway. Finally, she took a dirty baseball cap from the bin and brought it over her eyes.  
She turned to go, as the wailing of a cop car drew near. But before she did, she closed her eyes and concentrated. A small flame burned on the center of her hand, and she focused it so it landed on the pink ribbons. Then she really did turn away, leaving the ribbons to lie abandoned in a dirty alleyway in New York, burning.


	2. Chapter 2

A hooded figure crossed the street, and glanced both ways before journeying into the darkness. She could hear the waves lapping from the river. Granted, it wasn’t the most pleasant place to live, but it was a home, and she needed to be by water. She huddled in a warehouse, slowly trying to lull herself to sleep, it wasn’t working.   
“Hey!” yelled a voice, it was the annoying janitor that came in there sometimes. “I toldjur to get otta here.”  
She glared at him, anger welling up, and her fingers started tingling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flickering spark up. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. The light slowly swished out. She looked at the janitor, and calmly walked out.  
“And don’t ja let me catch ya ‘round ‘ere again!” he yelled after her.  
She rolled her eyes, and glanced out at the murky water. If she was an evil person, she could set this whole place ablaze, and that janitor would be the one kicked out. But she wasn’t…  
“At least, not yet.” She whispered into the night, secretly fearing that one day, she might turn evil.  
The cold breeze from the water washed over her. Someone normal would be freezing, but Bri wasn’t exactly normal. Instead, she slipped down the banks until she was close to the river, and fell asleep, watching the few stars in the night sky.

 

The city was loud, as always. Bri wandered the dark streets, silent and deadly. She slipped into a clothing store suddenly, the wailing of a cop car could be heard. As she walked near the back, she froze. Someone was behind her.   
“’Ello beautiful.” Said a man.  
She turned around, and a middle-aged man was staring at her. Vile, disgusting. “Go away.” She snapped.  
“Ooh, big tough girl, eh?” he asked, sliding in closer.  
“I said go away.” She said again.  
“Afraid of a jealous boyfriend, are you sweetie?” he said, breathing close to her.  
She shoved him out of the way, but he grabbed her arm. He looked down at her wrist. “Nice tattoo.” He said, stroking it.  
It was a phoenix, bathed in flame. Her eye twitched at the mention of it. “Get off me.” Bri whispered.  
“I don’t think so.” He said, pressing close to her, his lips close to her ear.  
Bri backed up, and placed her hand on a clothing rack. “You really don’t want to mess with me.” She said, holding her head up, as he glanced at her chest.  
“And why not, beautiful?” he asked, moving closer.  
“Let’s just say, it’d be like playing with fire.” She said, “Don’t get in the way, or you’ll be burnt to a crisp.”  
He reached a hand to her, and slowly started unzipping her jacket, revealing a dirty shirt underneath. Bri’s temper flared up, and her fingers slowly started going numb, and soon, a flickering light basked the two. The nameless man backed up when he saw the fire. “What…? How!?” he demanded.  
Bri looked at the clothes that were on fire. It was spreading rapidly. The man started to run, and part of her, the deep dark part of her soul, wanted to send the flames towards him. She felt sick for thinking that. The fire was catching, and she could hear the screams of the customers. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate, but she couldn’t control them now that they were free. Panic was settling in, and her breath quickened. The flames were burning higher as her emotions soared. Bri made a flash decision, and ran from the store as fast as possible.   
The sirens were nearing, and she ducked into an alleyway. She didn’t want to know how many people had been injured- or worse. She hid behind a bin, breathing heavy. Bri buried her head in her lap, tears threatened to pour down. She felt like she was six again, and all the times she’d lost control…The time at the arena, that neighborhood in Washington, that mall in downtown.   
Bri quickly took of her hoodie, and scavenged until she found a pair of jeans to replace her sweatpants. She rubbed the dirt off the shirt, and took off the baseball cap. She had run from the police enough to know that they would presume her male, and send out warning for her once they saw the security tapes. Time to be a girl again.  
She walked down into the darkness, hoping to find a place to stay that wasn’t too disgusting. The first couple weeks after an ‘incident’ were the worst. The police were on constant alert, so she had to be careful. Bri could only pray that the man who was flirting with her perished, otherwise she could be easily traced, with the phoenix tattoo. Sometimes, she really regretted getting it.  
She slipped down the side of a wall, slowly breathing. She had to learn control, otherwise people would get hurt. Bri swallowed, what would happen when she gave up trying to hide, and let her powers reign free? How much death and destruction would she cause? She closed her eyes, and pushed the questions to the back of her mind, where they would fester, and slowly eat her brain apart.

 

“Fury? I’ve got Banner on board.” Said Natasha Romanoff, speaking into her cell.   
“Good? Are you near New York now?” asked Nick Fury from the other end of the line.  
“Yes, I’m almost there. Why, is there something else?” asked Natasha, noticing Fury’s tone.   
“She’s there. The Phoenix.”   
Natasha’s eyes widened, “Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring her? We don’t even know her.”  
“She’s always been a part of our plans.” Explained Fury, “And we can always…get acquainted when you bring her in.”  
“We don’t even know her real name.” pointed out Nat.  
“I think she likes it that way.”


	3. Chapter 3

Bri opened her eyes. Someone was coming closer. She retreated carefully, and quietly. In New York, it wasn’t uncommon to have thugs lumbering around at night. Her body was tensed, poised, and ready for a fight. Before she could react, there was a knife at her throat. “Well, what do we have ‘ere?” he pressed the blade into her skin forcing Bri to stand.  
She was pressed against the wall, as the men around her checked her pockets for money. “She ain’t got anything.” Said one.  
“Pity, and I was going to enjoy robbing ya.” He said, the blade digging a little deeper, “Maybe I could’ve spared ya. Would’ve liked that?”   
Bri stared at him silently, she desperately wanted to burn him to a pile of ashes, but she never tried to use her powers. They were too unpredictable. Instead, she kicked his legs as hard as she could, setting her free. The others came at her. She punched one in the jaw, and used her elbow to hit the back of his neck, successfully breaking it. She flung her leg around and knocked one down to the ground, then one more grabbed her from behind. Using her elbow, she hit it where it would hurt the most. Finally, just their leader left. He was barely breathing on the ground.  
Bri turned to leave, when a mangled cry broke through the night, and the big man was charging at her with a knife. She turned too slowly, his momentum propelled him forward, and the chances of survival were diminished, until-  
Bang!  
Gunfire roared in Bri’s ears. A splatter of blood covered her, as the man lay face first in the alleyway, and gunshot wound in his back, a dark red bloodstain slowly growing. Bri saw a figure move into the light, one holding a gun. She had curly red hair, and was wearing a black skin-tight suit.   
Bri held up her hands in surrender. “Are you going to shoot me too?”  
The woman looked at her, “Not unless you give me good reason to.”  
“I don’t plan on doing that.” Admitted Bri.  
“Good, it would be a shame to kill you, after saving your life.”  
The woman put her gun away, and her eyes drifted to Bri’ wrist.  
“My name is Natasha Romanoff, what do have tattooed on your wrist?” said the woman.  
Bri swallowed, “Why do you need to know that?”  
Natasha looked at her, “I not going to hurt you, just tell me what it is.”  
“It’s a phoenix, surrounded by fire.” Bri said, worrying she was the police.  
“I’m not with the police.” Said Natasha, as if reading her thoughts, “I’m here on behalf of SHEILD, you’re wanted there.”  
“SHEILD?” Bri asked.  
“I’ll explain more, but only if you decide to come with me.” Natasha promised.  
“Why does this, ‘SHEILD’ need me?” asked Bri, fearing the truth. “I am nobody, homeless, and pathetic.”  
“We both know that’s not true.” Said Natasha.  
“So what? They’re going to do experiments on me, because I’m a freak?”  
“You’re not a freak,” said Natasha quietly.  
“Yeah?” demanded Bri, “Then how do you explain this?” her hand burst into flames.  
Nat’s hand drifted towards her gun. Bri sighed, and concentrated, trying to calm herself down. She didn’t want this whole place to burst into flames. She closed her palm, and the fire sputtered out.  
“You can control it?” asked Natasha, surprised.  
But Bri shook her head, “Even a small fire like that is hard to control. The bigger the fire, the hard it is to manage.”  
“Have you tried controlling it?” asked Nat.  
“No, it’s a curse. I hate it. I just try to pretend it doesn’t exist.” Bri said bitterly.  
“Maybe if you-.”   
“I DON’T WANT IT! I DON’T WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT!” yelled Bri, again, her hands sparking up in rage.  
Natasha had her hand on her gun. Bri turned away, “I’m not going to go with you, Natasha Romanoff. Never. I’m too dangerous.” She started walking away.  
“Well, we’ve got someone in the back of the car who is a lot more dangerous than you, and he decided to come.” Said Natasha.  
“Who?” Bri asked.  
“Ever heard of the Hulk?” asked Nat.  
Bri froze, “Yes, I’ve heard of him.” She turned around, “Who are you people?”  
“Not your enemies. I’ll explain everything once we’re in the car.”  
Bri stared at her, she wanted answers so badly. “Okay.” She whispered.  
“Oh yeah, and one more thing.” Said Romanoff as they walked towards the vehicle.  
“What?” asked Bri.  
“What’s your name?”  
Bri almost laughed, “You knew exactly where to find me, all about my powers, and my tattoo, but you don’t know my name?”  
“We’ve kept track of incidents where you have been involved, we never got a clear name. At SHEILD, they just call you Phoenix.” Admitted Natasha.  
“Phoenix…” muttered Bri, “I like the sound of that.”  
Nat looked at her expectantly.   
“Bri, you can call me Bri.”

 

Natasha told Bri everything, about the Tesseract, Loki, the others that were there, the leaders of SHEILD, and who she was. Bri nodded, drinking it all in, but it was like her mind was failing to comprehend all of the information. Doctor Bruce Banner was also in the car, he was silent most of the trip, but he explained a few things too. Bri noticed that Natasha did not mention the Hulk in his presence, she said that Doctor Banner had come to locate the Tesseract, since it would be giving off Gama radiation, something he was an expert in.  
“So, you’re a genius then?” Bri asked Banner.  
Bruce looked down, “Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly…”  
“No, I think you are.” Said Bri.  
Bruce smiled a little bit, “What about you? Where do you come from?”  
“You mean what planet?” asked Bri, looking out the window. “I’ve lived in the streets in New York all my life. I’ve never known anything else.”  
“Why New York? Why not-?” started Bruce.  
“Somewhere nicer?” finished Bri, looking at him sadly. “New York is the most resilient city I’ve seen. If anywhere could handle a crazed pyromaniac, it’d be New York. I mean, the last time I left, I sort of burnt down an entire neighborhood in Washington.”  
Natasha looked around from the front of the car, “I heard about that on the news. That was you?”  
Bri looked out the window again, watching the city pass by. “Why do you need me to come? I’m not a genius like Bruce, or a trained assassin like you. I’m not important, I’m just a freak.”  
“Fury believes you can learn to control your powers.” Natasha said, without looking at Bri.  
“Why? Does he want me to burn Loki to the ground or something?” Bri asked skeptically.  
“He thinks you can help in the recovering of the cube.”  
“Yeah? Well, good luck with that.” Bri said bitterly.   
Natasha didn’t say anything, noticing Bri’s need for silence on the matter.  
Bruce noticed it to, but chose to ignore it. “If it makes you feel any better, I know what you’re going through.”  
Bri looked at him, for a second, she had forgotten that he also had something he couldn’t control. A literal beast inside of him. She swallowed, “I wish things were different.”   
“Me too, but we can’t change what has happened, so, sometimes you’ve just got to…live as life as much as possible.” Bruce said, his voice trailing off, as he became lost in thought.  
At least you know what happened to you, why you are the way you are. I don’t know why I was born with this power. And I intend on finding out why, thought Bri, as silence covered the car like a shroud.


	4. Chapter 4

Bri lost track of time, they travelled throughout the night, and she had fallen asleep. When she woke up, it was light, and they were approaching what looked like a seaside military base, but she knew it wasn’t.   
They got out of the car, and Natasha walked off, telling her and Bruce to look around. Bri looked over at the water, and lost track of where Bruce went. She couldn’t help noticing the few glances her way. She ducked her head, and closed her eyes. Why couldn’t she just disappear? She didn’t want to be here, she just wanted answers.  
“Ma’am?” asked a voice.  
Bri turned around, staring at the man in front of her. Light blond hair, blue eyes, fit body. He held out a hand, “I’m Steve Rodgers.”  
Hesitantly, she took it. “Bri.” She said simply, “You’re Captain America.”  
“Well, yes.” He said.  
She looked at him again, “The super soldier, impressive.”  
“Looks like you’ve heard about me. I’ve hadn’t heard much about you.” Said Steve.  
“There’s isn’t much to know. Just…” Bri glanced at her wrist, at the tattoo, “Well, I guess you know that much.”  
Steve looked at her directly in the eyes, “That wasn’t what I meant.”  
“Then what did you mean?” Bri asked.  
Natasha came back, with Bruce before Steve had a chance to answer. “You may want to step inside in a minute, it’s going to be little hard to breathe.” She said  
The water started churning beneath us, Bri looked over the rail. “Is this a submarine?”  
Bruce gave a nervous laugh, “Really? They want me in a pressurized, submerged, metal container?”  
Massive engines came from the water, and the base which they were standing on rose into the air. It was incredible. Bri looked around in shock. Bruce smiled, “Oh no,” he commented, “This is much worse.”

 

Natasha led the 3 of them into the helicarrier, and there was a flurry of activity around us.  
“We’re at lock sir.” Said one agent to a man with an eye patch.  
“Good. Let’s dance.” He replied.  
He came up to them, and nodded. Steve handed him a ten dollar bill, and looked around in awe.  
“Doctor, thank you for coming.” He said to Banner.  
“Thanks for asking so nicely. So, uh…how long am I staying?” asked Bruce.  
“Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you’re in the clear.” He explained.  
“Where are you with that?” asked Bruce.  
He turned to another agent, who then said “We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cellphones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us.”  
“That’s still not going to find them in time.” Said Natasha.  
“You have to narrow the field. How many spectrometers do you have access to?” asked Bruce.  
“How many are there?” asked the eye patch man.  
“Call every lab you know, tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?” said Bruce.  
“Agent Romanoff, would you show Doctor Banner to his laboratory please.”  
Natasha walked off, leading Bruce away. Eye patch turned to Bri, “So, Natasha was able to find you, Bri-is that what you said your name was?” he asked. “I’m Director Nick Fury.”  
He held out his hand, and she took it. “Around here, you’re just known as 'Phoenix’.”  
“You can just call me that then.”  
Nick turned to a screen, “You’ve done well at keeping yourself hidden.” The screen showed different shots of her, grainy video images of her, caught on security cameras.   
“You’ve been keeping track of me.” Bri noticed, staring at the footage. Words on the side were any location she had lived in for more than month in the past 12 years.  
Fury took the screen down. “How old are you?”  
“You should know.” Replied Bri.  
“Our results were…inconclusive. As was your name.” explained Nick.  
“I’m 26. What do you mean, inconclusive?” she asked.  
Nick turned away, “What that means is that we have records of almost anyone of any importance on this earth, and we have very little about you. According to the computers, you don’t exist.”  
“Well, I very much exist, I’m afraid.” Bri said. “So why did you call me here? Because you wanted to figure me out? To test me? To control me?”  
Fury looked at her, studying her. “What do you remember from your childhood?’ he asked her, spontaneously.  
Bri stared at him, images flashing through her mind, an apartment building, burning to the ground. The back of an ambulance truck, a policeman accusing her of causing it. She didn’t want to remember her childhood.  
“Nothing.” She lied steadily.  
Fury raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure?”  
“Very.” She said coldly.


	5. Chapter 5

Bri closed her eyes, and let the hot water pour at her. She filled her head with shampoo, and rinsed, watching the bubbles drift down the drain. She scrubbed at her body, at least removing a layer of skin. When she stepped out, the cool air hit her naked body, and she quickly wrapped a towel around her. It had been years since she had been this clean. She dried her hair quickly, considering that it was so short.   
She looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t pretty, she decided, but not hideous. Her hair was boring, cut short, and a mixture of blond and brown. She could decide which color was clearer. Even her eyes were a dull brown. If men saw her in the streets, they wouldn’t look twice. Her arms were bruised, and her tooth chipped slightly. Bags under hers eyes were dark from so many nights of little sleep.  
In the bathroom, there was makeup on the counter, but Bri ignored it. She pulled on her freshly washed clothes, and ran a comb through her hair. Okay, maybe this isn’t so bad. She thought, as she turned off the fan and left the room.  
Bri wandered back to the main area, where Steve and Coulson were talking. Suddenly, one agents said “We got a hit. Sixty seven percent match. Weight, cross match, seventy nine percent.”  
“Location?” asked agent Phil Coulson.  
“Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Konigstrasse. He's not exactly hiding.” Said the agent.  
“Captain, Phoenix, you’re up.” Said Director Fury.  
Bri swallowed, as she nodded, and followed Steve outside.

 

  
Bri was looking down at her outfit. She was still unsure of it, when they had given it to her. The material was flexible, and had a layer of protection, giving her the ability take fall damage easier. The designs were different. For the most part, it was plain black, but the arms had tongues of flame swirling around. Before they had left, Coulson had showed her one more thing it could do. There was a button on her shoulder that, when pressed, would open up specially made wings under her arms. They could be used for gliding downwards, or propulsion forward. They were planning on using a similar design in the future, but that was the first one.  
Steve was quiet, as the stood in the back of the jet together. He was tense, prepared for action. Bri was more worried, “Why did he want me? I don’t know how to control it.” She whispered.  
“Maybe control isn’t the key.” Said Steve.  
“Then what is?” asked Bri.  
“Acceptance.”  
Bri stared at him, drinking in the meaning of it. Before she could reply, Natasha pulled down, and the door opened. “Ready when you are.” He said.  
He jumped down, and she quickly followed him. As they fell, he pulled his limbs together to go faster, while she was trying to not scream. Natasha told her how to land, but Bri was still freaking out. Steve landed in front of an old man, and he raised his shield. A jet of magic was reflected off it, and it hit its caster. A man in full armor, sharp cheekbones, and long black hair. Loki.  
Bri hit the button on her suit, and her ‘wings’ expanded outwards, catching the air. She dove downwards, trying to catch up. Natasha positioned the aircraft, and using the speaker she said “Loki, drop the weapon and stand down.”  
He send a blast at the ship, but she dodged just in time. His eyes caught Bri’s, and readied his staff…  
Captain America threw his shield, and it hit Loki, and the two started to fight. Loki finally knocked Steve down, and had the point of his staff to his neck.  
“Kneel.” Said Loki.  
“Not today.” Replied Steve.  
“Get away from him, Loki.” Said Bri, summoning a fire in the palm of her hand, even that small fire was hard to control, and she feel it’s need for escape, but she concentrated, keeping it focused.  
Loki laughed, “As if you have any power, you can’t control it. I can help you with that. I can teach you.”  
Bri stopped, looking at him, the fire grew brighter, and stronger with her anger. “I said get away from him.”  
Loki backed away from the Captain, and Bri held out her hand, the fire burning brighter. Loki smirked when he saw it, “Just give into it,” he said, “let it burn, into an inferno!”  
Bri released the flame, right at Loki. He blocked it with his staff, but he was more concentrated now. She summoned another one, this time letting go faster. He blocked that one too, and she was about to create a third one, when music suddenly blasted through the speakers.  
Is that… ACDC? She wondered, as a flying figure came up.  
A red and yellow suit of armor blasted Loki down, and then he landed. Every weapon imaginable came out of the suit, all pointed at Loki.   
“Make your move, reindeer games.” Said Iron Man.  
Loki put his hands up in surrender. “Good move,” said Tony.  
“Mr. Stark,” Bri said.  
“Ma’am.” He said in greeting.

 

Loki was tied up to his seat, silent as stone. Bri sat, watching him. Steve came up to her, “See? You had it under control”  
“Barely. It’s so hard to use it, after being scared for so long.” said Bri, looking up at him.  
“Maybe that’s it, you’re scared, so it’s hard to control.” Said Steve.  
“Maybe…” Bri trailed off, staring back at Loki. He had said he could help her…No, she pushed the thought out of her mind. He was just trying to manipulate her mind. The slightest smirk from him proved that she was right, and he was succeeding. She glared at him, and looked down.  
Steve turned back to talk to Tony, “I don’t like this,”  
“What? Rock of Ages giving up to easily?” asked Tony.   
“I don’t remember it being ever that easy. This guy packs a wallop.” Said Steve.  
“Still, you’re pretty spry for an older fellow. What’s your thing, Pilates?” asked Tony.  
“What?”  
“It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle.” Explained Tony.  
Bri sighed, Tony Stark seemed to have a thing with nicknames. He had already deemed her ‘Flameo’. She turned to him, “Fury never said you were coming,” she pointed out.  
“Well, there’s a lot of things Fury doesn’t tell you.” Replied Tony.  
Outside, a storm was going crazy, lightning nearly hit the jet. Loki looked out the window intently. “What is it?” Bri asked, “Are you scared of lightning?”  
“I’m not overly fond of what follows.” He admitted.  
Bri frowned, unsure of what to make of that.  
Suddenly, the door opened, a man wearing medieval clothes, and carrying a massive hammer walked in, grabbed Loki by the throat in flew out. It flashed by in seconds. Tony reacted first, and put him Iron Man helmet on. “Now there’s that guy.”  
“Another Asgardian?” asked Bri.  
“Think the guy’s friendly?” asked Steve.  
“Doesn’t matter. If he frees Loki, or kills him, then the Tesseract is lost.” Said Tony, walking down to follow this new Asgardian.  
“Tony, we need a plan of attack!” Bri called after him.  
“I have a plan.” Said Iron Man, “Attack.  
He jumped out of the jet.  
“Damn it, Stark.” Snapped Bri, and she jumped after him.  
She fell with her arms and legs tucked closely together, so she would fall faster. As the ground sped closer to her, she felt a rush of adrenaline. She reached and pushed the button again, and extended her arms. When she had fallen the first time, she didn’t get a chance to look at her wings. Now she saw how amazing they were. They looked so delicate, but they were strong as steel. They had long feathers of red, orange and yellow. Like fire solidified. Like the wings of a phoenix.   
She was flying. She was a phoenix.  
The ground was nearing, so she swerved so she was vertical to the ground. She could see Iron Man, and the Asgardian fighting. She landed in a tree, watching the two of them. Then, she summoned her power, and used it to set the place ablaze. That got their attention. She drifted to the ground, the wings still out.   
The flames rose higher, trapping them in together. She fought to control them, and to keep them outwards. “That’s enough.” She said.  
“Are you an Angel?” asked the Asgardian.  
“No, more like the opposite.” Said Bri steely. “Now, I don’t know why you’re here…”  
“I’ve come to stop Loki’s schemes!” he cried.  
“Ok, we’re on the same page here. Now, just put the hammer down-“  
“Umm, no. Bad call he loves his hammer.” Said Tony urgently.  
Thor gripped his hammer, “You want me to put the hammer down?” he demanded, and launched up, and prepared to strike down right on Bri.  
It happened in slow motion, as Bri saw the hammer coming at her. She couldn’t block it, it was too powerful. The fire circling the area grew higher, and blazed, caused by her fear of death. She started a fire in her hands, it wasn’t much, but that was all she got. But then, quicker than lighting, a flash of red, white, and blue landed in front of her, and held up his shield, blocking the two of them.   
The hammer came down on Captain America’s shield, and sent a wave of light coursing through the area. The wielder was knocked back. The Captain stood up, “Are we done here?” he asked, like nothing happened.  
Bri took a shaky breath.


	6. Chapter 6

Bri could hear Loki’s interrogation through the monitor. Instead of watching, she was sitting down, closing her eyes. He arms wouldn’t stop shaking. She had used her power so much in the past 48 hours, in was terrifying her. Part of her wanted to do it again, right then and there. The rush, the freedom, that she got when using it, was so addictive. Only years of self-control forced her to sit quietly.   
“How desperate are you, to call upon such lost creatures?” asked Loki to Fury.  
“How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill because it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did.” Replied Fury.  
“Ooh, it burns you to have come so close, to have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is?” said Loki.  
“Well, you let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something.” Said Fury.  
Bri listened quietly, finally walking up to look at Loki. He smiled at her through the camera. She turned away.  
“He really grows on you, doesn’t he?” asked Bruce.  
Bri sat back down, resuming her pose.  
“Loki’s going to drag this one out. So, Thor, what’s his play?” asked Steve.  
“He has an army called the Chitauri. They’re not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract.” Said Thor.  
Bri barely heard him.  
“An army, from outer space?” asked Steve.   
“So he’s building another portal, that’s what he needs Erik Selvig for.” Said Bruce.  
“Selvig?” asked Thor.  
“He's an astrophysicist.” Explained Banner.  
“He’s a friend.” Said Thor.  
“Loki has him under some sort of spell, along with one of ours.” Said Natasha.  
Bri opened her eyes, and looked up, “Why did Loki let us take him so easily? He can’t lead his army from here.”   
“I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki. That’s guy’s brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him.” Said Bruce.  
“I care not how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he is my brother.” Said Thor.  
“He killed 80 in 2 days.” Said Natasha.  
“He’s adopted.”  
“Iridium, what did they need Iridium for?” wondered Bruce.  
It's a stabilizing agent.” Said Tony walking in with Coulson, “I’ll fly you there. Keep the love alive. Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD.”  
Tony walked over, patting Thor’s arm, “No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants. Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the topsails. That man is playing Galaga!” he pointed to one agent. “Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did. How does Fury do this?” he asked, looking at Fury’s desk, covering one eye.  
“He’s turns.” Said agent Maria Hill.  
“Well, that sounds exhausting. The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube.” Explained Tony.  
“When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?” asked Maria.  
“Last night.” Replied Tony, “The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?”  
“Does Loki need any particular power source?” asked Steve.  
“He got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.” Said Banner.  
“Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.” Added Tony.  
What? Thought Bri.  
“Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet.” Said Bruce.  
“Finally, someone who speaks English.” Commented Tony, shaking hands with Bruce.  
“Is that what just happened?” asked Steve.  
“It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.” Said Tony.  
“Thanks.”  
Nick Fury walked in, “Doctor Banner is only here to help track down the cube. I thought you might want to join him.”  
“Let’s start with that stick of his, it may be magical, but it works awfully like a HYDRA weapon.” Said Steve.  
“I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.” Said Fury.  
“Monkey’s? I do not understand.” Said Thor, confused.  
“I do!” called Steve, “I-I understood that reference.” He looked so proud of himself.  
Bri bit her lip.   
“Shall we play doctor?” asked Tony.  
“Let’s play some.” Agreed Bruce, and the two of them headed to the lab.  
Bri got up, and went into the heart of the ship, alone from the others.


	7. Chapter 7

Bri was trying to concentrate. Old memories were stirring up, none of them good. She knew she was alone, but she still kept quiet. Although she couldn’t see a security camera, it didn’t mean it wasn’t there. Her hands were shaking, like they had been since yesterday.   
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” asked a voice.  
“Too much going on,” said Bri, watching as the figure approached her. “Shouldn’t you?”  
Natasha came up, and sat down next to her. “You okay?” she asked.  
“No.”  
“Me too.” She whispered, and clenched her knees to her body.  
“The other agent that’s under Loki’s control, Agent Barton, are you two…?” Bri asked cautiously.  
“It’s complicated. I owe him a debt.” Said Nat, and seeing the confused look on Bri’s face, she went on. “He sparred my life. And changed it in many ways. I can’t let him die, not after all that. Not when I can save him. Is that love?”   
Bri looked at her, “I think it is, maybe not even romantic, but still love and trust.”  
Natasha smiled a little bit, and then her eyes drifted to Bri’s arms, which were uncovered because she was wearing a tank top. They were covered in bruises and scars. But Natasha knew that those scars were too deliberate to be just battle scars. She recognized those scars, she’d seen them before.  
“You did it, didn’t you?” asked Nat.  
Bri followed her gaze, and winced when she realized what Natasha was pointing to. She ducked her head, “It was after an incident. An arena, 500 injured and 150 deaths. I was so angry, at myself and my life, and my powers. So I did it, and it hurt like hell. But I thought that was good, that I deserved to suffer for what I did. It was the first and last time that I did it. But scars never do fade away.”  
Natasha held her gaze intensely, “I’ve killed people, innocent people. I’ve made a…a ledger. I’m still in the red, and I’m trying to wipe it out.”  
“Well, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wipe out my ledger.” Said Bri.  
“You can, we can both change to become better people.” Said Natasha.  
Bri heard the muffled voice of Coulson from the other end of Natasha’s headset. She got up, “Anyone can reborn, given the right circumstances.” She told Bri, before walking away.  
The word ‘Reborn’ echoed in Bri’s mind. Like a Phoenix.  
Bri got up, and looked around.  
Time to get some answers, and she knew exactly where to look.

She stood outside the room, wondering if she should go in. Finally, she took a deep breath, and opened the door. “Tony, Bruce?” she asked.  
They looked up, “Fury sent me in here to check on you.” She said.  
Tony laughed, “Bri, do me a favor and never become an agent.”  
Bri was confused, “Why?”  
“Because you’re a terrible liar. “ Tony said, “Want a blueberry?” he asked, holding a bag out.  
Bri took a couple. “Fine, you’re right. I want to know what SHEILD has on me. Fury wasn’t telling me everything, I’m sure of it.”  
Tony grinned, “Well, you’re in luck, Jarvis has been working away, so I’ve got complete access to every dirty secret SHEILD has in here.” He pulled up a few screens, “Full name?” he asked.  
“Fury said that they don’t have…” she trailed off, realizing what she was saying  
She hadn’t said her full name in 20 years, and wasn’t anxious to break that streak. It was the name of a six year old, one who was happy, and had a life, and had family. “Brianna, Brianna Russells.”  
She flinched slightly, and looked down. Tony typed it in, and Bri saw images flash through the screen. Bruce looked over from where he was working, seeing who she was. First was the news report after the fire, followed by the newspapers, and finally the alerts, and the police looking for her. The words read ‘Presumed dead’. Bri swallowed.  
Tony looked away as he realized how the fire had started. “There’s nothing else on the system.” He said.  
“Try: Phoenix.” She said.  
Tony glanced at her, and typed it in. Immediately, pages showed up. All the stuff she’d seen with Fury, but as Tony scrolled down, she saw how much there was. Her gaze rested on the profile.   
PHOENIX  
Name: Brianna Fawkes  
AGE: -235  
STATUS: Tracked  
-Has seemingly uncontrollable fire abilities, threat to society. 

Bri froze. Fawkes? That was her last name? What about her age, how could someone be aged in negative numbers?   
Threat to society.  
Tony kept scrolling, his eyes growing wide in shock. “Okay, this is weird, even for us. According to their computers, your official birth date is July 9th, 2247. You were sent back in time, using a time machine the government built, apparently a rebel government worker came up with a plan to start the new generation of people like you. Your “parents” in the 21st century found you in their house when you were one. You started developing fire abilities by three, around the same time your parents had a child of their own…”  
“Stop! Please, Tony. Please just…stop.” Bri snapped. Burying her face in her hands, she started to cry.  
Bruce rushed over, and carefully held her. For a few moments, she let herself be held. She let herself cry. She wasn’t even from this time period, she didn’t belong here. Her parents weren’t actually her parents, she honestly had no one. Not for another 200 years. She wasn’t supposed to exist, she was just special because she came to a time when no one had this power. The government ripped her away from her birth family, the Fawkes’. 200 years out of time.   
She opened her eyes, and pulled herself out of Bruce’s grasp, wiping her tears away. “I’m sorry,” she said, now embarrassed.  
“Oh no, don’t apologize.” Said Tony, “You’re still human, even if you are from the future. Which is completely insane, but still.”  
“A time machine? Will our technology advance that quickly?” wondered Bruce.  
“Well, if I wanted to, I could probably build one.” Tony said.  
“Steve would like that.”  
Bri took a shaky breath, and looked down at her hands, helplessly. The fingertips were sparking, and she struggled to control it. She looked up sharply, “Why did Fury not tell me? What else is he keeping from us?” she demanded.  
Tony frowned, and pulled down the screens, “Bruce and I were just finding out before you came in. You’re not going to like it.”  
“What? What is it?” she asked, getting up.  
Just then, Nick Fury walked in. “What are you doing, Mr. Stark?” he asked.  
Tony glared at him, “I could ask you the same thing.”  
“You’re supposed to be locating the Tesseract.” Said Fury.  
“We are. The models locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile.” Said Bruce.  
Fury eye focused on Bri’s. Then it flickered to her hands, which were starting to glow with anger.   
“And you’ll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss.” Said Tony, looking at the screen. “What is phase 2?”  
Steve entered, dropping down an assault rifle on the table. “Phase 2 is that SHEILD used the cube to make weapons. Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow.” Said Steve angrily.  
“Rodgers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we’re…” said Fury, trying to explain.  
“Sorry Nick,” said Tony, as the screen showed obvious plans for weapons. “What were you lying?”   
“I was wrong, director, the world hasn’t changed a bit.” Said Steve.  
Thor and Natasha walked in.  
Banner glared at Nat, “Did you know about this?” he demanded.  
“You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?” asked Natasha.  
“I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed.” He replied.  
“Loki’s manipulating you.”  
“And you’ve been doing what exactly?”  
“You didn’t come here because I bat my eyelashes at you.” Said Nat.  
“And I’m not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I’d like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to make weapons of mass destruction.” Banner said firmly.  
“Because of her.” Fury said, pointing at Bri.  
All eyes turned towards her.   
“I trust you know by now?” asked Fury.  
“Yes, yes I do you son of a –“  
Fury held up a hand to stop Bri. “For those of you who don’t know by now, Bri is from the future. She was sent to start the line of the Elementally Gifted. She was born in the 23rd century. When SHEILD found out about this, we realized how long it would take us to create such advanced machinery. When Thor came, we saw how hopeless we were. Completely outgunned, and helpless.”  
“My people want nothing but peace with your planet.” Said Thor.  
“Yeah, but you’re not the only ones out there, are you? The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled.” Fury’s eye looked directly at Bri as he said that.  
“Like you controlled the cube?” she asked bitterly.  
“You're work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war.” Said Thor.  
“Higher form?” asked Steve.  
“You forced our hand. We had to come with something.” Protested Fury.  
“Nuclear deterrent. ‘Cause that always calms things down.” Said Tony.


	8. Chapter 8

“Remind me again how you made your fortunes, Stark?” asked Fury.  
“I’m sure if he still made weapons, Tony would be neck deep.” Said Steve.  
“Wait, wait! How is about me now?” demanded Tony.  
“I’m sorry, isn’t everything? Asked Steve angrily.  
“I thought humans were more evolved than this.” Muttered Thor.  
“Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow things up?” demanded Fury.  
“Did you always give your champions such mistrust?” asked Thor.  
“Are you all really that naive? SHIELD monitors threats.” Natasha said.  
“Captain America is on a potential threat list?” Bri asked in disbelief.  
Tony laughed, “You're on that list? Are you above or below angry bees? Threatening! I feel threatened!”  
“I swear Stark, one more crack…” warned Steve.  
“You speak of control, but you court chaos.” Said Thor.  
“It's his M.O., isn't it? I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're... we're a time-bomb.” Said Bruce.  
“You need to step away.” Said Fury.  
“Why shouldn’t the guy let off a little steam?” asked Tony.  
“You know damn well why.” Snapped Steve. “Back off!”  
“Oh, I starting to want you to make me.” Said Tony angrily.  
“Big man in a suit of armor, take that off and what are you?” asked Steve.  
“Uh, Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”  
“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. Yeah, I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”  
“I think I would just cut the wire.” Said Tony.  
“Always a way out... You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.” Snapped Steve.  
Bri saw that hit a nerve with Tony, “A hero? Like you? You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!”  
“Put on the suit, we’ll go a few rounds.” Steve challenged.  
Thor laughed, “You people are so petty...and tiny.”  
Tony rubbed his head, and moved away from Steve.  
“Yeah, this is a tee…” commented Bruce.  
“Agent Romanoff, would you escort doctor Banner back to his…”  
“Where? Your renting my room.” Said Bruce bitterly.  
“The cell was just in case…” but Bruce cut him off.  
“In case you needed to kill me. You can’t, I know, I’ve tried!” he cried.  
His words struck Bri’s heart, she could see the pain in his eyes.   
“I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spat it out! So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!” he glared at Natasha, “You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?”  
“Bruce.” Bri was surprised how soft and gentle her voice came out, though inside she was feeling far from it, “Put the scepter down.”  
Bruce looked down at his hands, shocked that he was holding it. The computer beeped, and Bruce started walking over. “Sorry, kids, looks like you don’t get to see my little party trick after all.”  
“Located the Tesseract?” asked Thor.  
“I can get there faster.” Said Tony.  
“Look, all of us…” started Steve.  
“The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it.” Said Thor.  
Tony turned to leave, by Steve grabbed him, “You’re not going alone.”  
“You gonna stop me?” demanded Tony.  
“Put on the suit, let’s find out.” Said Steve aggressively.  
“I’m not afraid to hit an old man.”  
“Put on the suit.”  
Bruce, while looking at the results on the Tesseract, noticed something. “Oh my god!” he cried.  
Before Bri had a chance to ask what was wrong, the room exploded.

 

She was thrown against the wall, her head bashed in. She tried to concentrate, by the world was covered in black spots. She could hear people talking, but they were just murmurs in the background. She closed her eyes, and tried to clear the fog in her brain, with no success. Then, a mighty roar split the air, and her brain. There was only one thing that could make that sound…The Hulk.  
Bri was on her feet, looking around. She ran through a maze of rooms, until she found Thor and the Hulk battling. Hulk was just about to smash Thor to a pulp, but Bri yelled “Hey!”  
The Hulk turned away from Thor, and Bri looked at the god, her eyes saying one thing “RUN”  
Thor got out of the way, only problem now was she had a giant green monster staring down at her, ready to kill. “Bruce, I know you’re in there. Please, you’ve got to focus.” She said desperately. The Hulk growled.  
He took a few lumbering steps forwards. “It’s me, it’s Bri. You know I would never hurt you. I know what you’re going through. Remember, in the car when we were driving to this place, to comfort me, you said that you knew what I was going through. You can focus, I know you can, Bruce…please.” Bri took a step forward, one too many.  
The Hulk lunged out, and Bri rolled for her life. He pounded the ground, and she jumped out of the way. He tried swatting her down, but she ducked. Finally, a blow hit, knocking the wind out of her, and flinging her against a wall. Fire suddenly raged across the room, and the Hulk leaped back from it. He glowered at her, and raised his fist for the kill.  
“Bruce, please…” she whispered.  
The Hulk paused for a moment, and Bri saw him lower his fist by a fraction…  
Suddenly the windows smashed, and bullets reigned in, plummeting the Hulk. His focus shifted to there, and jumped out of the window at the small plane. Bri go up, in so much pain she could hardly hack it. The room was burning down, and it was spreading. She couldn’t control it. Her powers were too much.  
She stumbled out of the room, and then broke into a run when she saw a glimpse of outside light. The room she entered was in rubble, and the wall broken, and a ship pulling someone aboard. Loki.  
“NO!” screamed Bri, trying to reach him.  
Loki stood at the back out his rescue plane, smiling at her, “I told you, you cannot control it. You will burn in your own fires. You will destroy everybody you love.” He promised.  
“I already have!” she shouted at him, knowing he was far out her reach.  
He smiled, “Then come with me, I have technology that can take you back to the future, I could help you learn to control your powers. Join me.”   
“I’ll join you when hell freezes over.” Snapped Bri.  
“Which might be sooner than you think.” Said Loki, grinning. “Until we meet again, Brianna Russells.”  
The use of her childhood name struck her like a slap. As Loki’s plane closed the doors, and flew off, she screamed in rage. Flame burst around her, covering her like a shroud. Then she blacked out.


	9. Chapter 9

When she came to, a man was staring at her. She blinked hard. It was Steve. For a second, she was pain free, and then her memory came crashing back at her, and her body was aching.   
“You’re awake, can you walk?” asked Rodgers.  
“Yes, Captain.” She replied. “Or, at least I think I can.”  
She swung her legs out of bed, and planted them on the ground. She felt weak, and…empty. She looked at Steve, and saw something was shattered there. She almost didn’t want to ask, “What happened?”  
“Coulson’s down.” He replied. “Fury wants you to be present, he’s called us together.”  
Bri nodded, her heart breaking hearing the news. She put pressure on her feet, wincing. Steve led her back to the bridge.  
Tony was sitting down, numb with shock. Bri felt a pain in her heart, Coulson had been a great person, and good agent. She was angry with herself for letting Loki get away. Fury paced around the room, and then pulled something out, letting the scatter around the table. Trading cards, Captain America ones.  
“These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them.” Said Fury, looking at Steve.  
“We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming.” Said Fury, still pacing.  
“Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called The Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes.”  
Tony got to his feet, and walked out of the room.  
“Well, it’s an old-fashioned notion.” Added Fury.

 

Bri paced the room. It was closed off, no one around. She closed her eyes, and tried to create a fire. Nothing happened. She tried again, this time trying to get angry. Still nothing. She sat down on a chair, shaking. Her power was gone.  
She’d never liked it, hated it, most of her life, but it felt like she had just lost an arm. It was a part of her, I made her…fine, she’d say it… it made her special. Without it, she was nothing, less than a nothing. Completely unimportant. With her fire powers, she was special.  
Fury had called her, what? One of the Elementally Gifted. Bri liked that term, it was better than “freak”. She opened her eyes, and took a few deep breathes. As she looked around the empty space the shrouded her, she realized why her abilities weren’t working. She was empty. She wasn’t feeling, she had cut off her emotions.   
Sacrificing the one thing that made her human, to be human. Bri glanced down at her wrist, at her tattoo, she’d gotten it when she was sixteen. It was a mark of her change, of her rebirth into Bri. Leaving her childhood, and fear behind. She had no idea that it would give her an alias. The suit was hanging up, waiting for her. It felt like a cruel joke.  
Loki would be attacking, today. There was nothing they could do to stop it. He would have an army, they had nothing. Bri had nothing.   
Her door creaked open, and Steve stood there. “Get your suit on, we’re leaving.”  
Bri nodded, knowing this wasn’t a time to ask questions, and Steve shut the door. She pulled off her shirt, and her pants, and pulled on the outfit. It fit her like a second skin, and something possessed her to push the button, releasing the wings. They still took her breath away, and she felt a flicker of hope start in her heart.  
She was Phoenix.  
She was reborn.  
She was a hero.

 

She met Captain, Nat, and Hawkeye walking towards the Quinjet. A pilot stood in their way, “You’re not authorized to be here…” he stammered.  
“Son, just don’t.” commanded Captain.

 

They boarded the jet, with Tony leading the way in his suit. The plan was to have Iron Man check out the portal, and try to destroy it at Stark Towers. If he wasn’t able to, the rest of them, would be there to make sure New York stayed safe.  
Bri put her fingers around a gun, carefully. She’d only used one once or twice. But if her powers weren’t going to be cooperative, she’d need this. She shuddered, remembering the last time she had held a gun-  
The one she was holding now dropped to the floor, with a clack. Steve looked at her strangely. Being a soldier, he knew how to use a gun. Bri swallowed, “Sorry, it’s just…bad experiences with guns.”  
She remembered that dim street, holding that gun, and raising it to her head. It was after an incident, over 70 people had died. She was a monster, and she wanted to kill it.   
Yes, she had bad experiences with guns.  
Steve seemed to read her like a book. “You’re not a monster.” He said.  
“Yes I am.” She said. “I’ve killed people. Innocent people.”  
“You couldn’t control it.” Said Steve, “it wasn’t your fault.”  
“Yes, it was!” snapped Bri. “It was my fault, because I couldn’t control it! It makes it my fault.”  
Steve grabbed her shoulders, “It wasn’t. Is it Bruce’s fault when the Hulk hurts someone?”  
“No, but…”  
“Exactly. You can’t help that you were born this way. You can’t help that you were sent through time. I know what that’s like.” Said Steve.  
He was too, a man out of time. Bri stared at him in the eyes. His words settled in, worming her way through her mind, planting roots. Her pessimistic side tried to force them out. But it was no use.  
It wasn’t her fault.  
“Look at all the people you saved in Germany.” Said Steve.  
“We saved.” She corrected.  
“You saved me from Loki.” Said Steve. “If you hadn’t, he would’ve killed me. Then he would’ve taken back control of those people. You have a good heart.”  
Bri looked at him. A good heart… She’d never thought herself to have that. She smiled a little bit, which almost hurt to. Then she realized why, she hadn’t smiled in years.  
“Is that a smile I see?” asked Steve teasingly.  
“No,” said Bri, ducking her head.  
Steve smiled, bringing her head back up. “You’ll make it out of this, you and me.”  
He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into an embrace. Bri closed her eyes. It felt good to be liked and accepted by someone. “Thank you.” She whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

Black Widow’s voice came from the front, “Stark, we’re heading North East.”  
“What did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up park, I’ll lay them out for you.” Tony’s voice came through the headset.  
Clint banked the jet towards Stark towers. Loki fired a blast of energy at the Quinjet, setting them on fire. They spiraled towards the street, landing in the pavement. Quickly, Bri grabbed her gun, and followed Cap outside, Natasha and Clint got out, and they stood in the middle of the streets. A roar broke through the air, and from the portal came a massive Chitauri Leviathan.   
Snakelike, it wove through the sky, dropping off hundreds of Chitauri. The four of them looked at the sky in awe. Only when the monsters started firing at the innocents. “Stark, are you seeing this?” asked Steve.  
“Seeing, still working on believing.” Admitted Tony. “Where’s Banner, has he shown up yet?”  
“Banner?” asked Steve confused.  
“Just keep me posted.” Said Tony, and he cut out.  
Bri looked up, seeing Loki fly past, followed by several Chitauri. A trail of explosions followed him. Several people were screaming, and running. Complete terror on their faces.  
“Those people need assistance down there.” Said Steve.  
A few Chitauri landed near them, and Natasha whipped out her guns and fired at them, “We’ve got this, it’s good, go!” she said.  
“Think you can hold them off?” Steve asked Hawkeye.  
“Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure.”  
Clint barley looked at the monster as he shot him in the head.  
There was an explosion from a nearby building as Captain America ran off. Bri looked at it, “I’ve got this.” She said, running in.  
Several Chitauri were holding family’s hostage, ready to do a mass killing. Bri shot several, keeping low. Before they realized she was there, she kicked one in the head, and shot another. A few Chitauri were left, and started shooting at the crowd. She launched herself at them, shooting her gun like crazy. She ducked as one shot fired over her head, and spun to avoid another. Her eyes flashed to the families, a woman crying over a man’s body as he lay on the street, mouth open.   
That set her off. Anger blazed in her heart. She grabbed a Chitauri by the throat “ENOUGH!” she screamed, and he incinerated in her hands.  
She created a fire in her hands, blazing like crazy. There was no need for control now, she knew that she needed this power, and it was helping her. They were working side by side, as one. She whipped around, firing at another one, and burning up the rest. “GO!” she screamed at the people standing there, “Go, get out of the city, take as many people with you.”  
A Chitauri was about to kill an old man, completely helpless. She kicked the monster in its head, and burned it to a crisp. “You saved my life!” the old man wheezed, “Who are you?”  
A Chitauri was leading a group of flyers through the air, Bri waved her hands, an inferno flying through the air, burning them to ashes. She heard one coming up behind her, grabbed his neck, and incinerated him.   
She looked back at the old man, “Phoenix.” She told him, and ran off.  
She joined back with Natasha and Clint, fighting off approaching enemies. Steve ran over, his face flushed. They all started fighting, but it was becoming too much for them.  
Suddenly a bolt of lightning came down from the sky, in a massive shockwave of electricity, the Chitauri all electrocuted. Thor came down from the sky, hammer in hand. “What’s the story upstairs?” asked Steve.  
“The powers surrounding the cube are impenetrable.” Said Thor.  
“Thor’s right,” said Tony, through the headset, “We’ve got to deal with these guys.”   
“How? There’s a whole army, if you haven’t noticed!” snapped Bri.  
“As a team.” Said Steve.  
“I have unfinished business with Loki.” Said Thor.  
“Yeah? Get in line,” said Clint bitterly.  
“Save it. Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us...” Steve trailed off with the sound of a motorbike came up.  
Bruce got up, and looked around. “Well, this looks horrible.” He commented.  
“I’ve seen worse.” Said Natasha.  
He bit his lip, “Sorry,”  
“No,” said Natasha, “We could use a little worse.”  
“Stark? We’ve got him,” reported Steve.  
“Banner?”  
“Just like you said.”  
“Then tell him to suit up. I’m bringing to party to you.” Said Tony, as he flew around the building, the Leviathan on his tail.  
“Y’know Tony, I’m not seeing how that’s a party.” Said Bri, as the monster approached.  
Banner looked at it, slowly walking towards it.   
“Dr. Banner, this may be a really good time for you to get angry.”  
Bruce turned around, glancing at Bri for a second, before flitting back to Steve. “That’s my secret, Cap, I’m always angry.”  
His body began to swell, his eyes glowing green, and his skin changing tone. As the Leviathan descended down on us, it landed face first into a Hulk-sized knuckle sandwich. The thing flipped over and landed on the pavement. Iron Man took out a rocket, and hit the soft flesh of the monster. It exploded, hunks off monster meat flew through the air, one landing at Bri’s feet.   
On the buildings, the Chitauri roared in anger, and slightly in fear when the Leviathan went down. The Avengers stood in a circle, holding out their weapons. The mightiest hero’s united against the Chitauri. The Avengers Assembled.  
“Guys,” warned Natasha.  
They looked up, and saw a thousand more Chitauri fly in, followed by a dozen more Leviathan’s. “Call it Cap.” Said Tony.  
“Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or your turn it to ash. Bri, get on top of the buildings, pick the ones on there. Stop them from getting inside.”  
Bri nodded.   
“Want a lift?’ Tony asked Clint and her.  
He grabbed both their arms, “Better clench up, Legolas.”  
He dropped Clint off at the building, and Bri the opposite one. She rolled down, and started firing at the few that were there. One fired at her, but she ducked down, rolled beneath him, and burned him. Soon, she was running faster than wind, taking out each one, ash blowing in the wind. Each time she used the fire, she felt like she had been injected with adrenaline.   
One Chitauri shot at her, but she held up her hand, and burnt the blast midair. The Chitauri looked shocked, and was taken off guard when she launched a fire ball at him. Behind her, several flyers came up, one not led by a Chitauri. Loki stood on his ride, staring at her, amused. When she saw him, she let her hands burst in to flames, and sent them at him. He stopped it with a wave of his hand.  
“The little girl, now a warrior. Look at what you’ve turned into. The monster of your nightmares.” He waved his hands around as the scattered ashes.  
“This is your fault, Loki. You brought them here, to our planet. The earth is my home, and you can be sure that if I can, I’ll be the one to save it.” She yelled.  
He smiled, “So sure about that, are you?”  
Then he felt it, a pain in her leg, so intense and excruciating, that her mind almost went numb. The back of he left calf had been shot. A wave of flame burst around her, killing the Chitauri that had sneaked up on her while she was distracted by Loki.  
“How appropriate, but you should be fine. Right?” said Loki teasingly, as she was shaking in pain. “After all, Phoenix’s don’t need a legs to fly.”  
She glared at him, straitening up. She pressed the button on her suit, her wings extending outwards. “You’re right, they don’t” she replied coolly, sending a wave of flame at his ride.  
It, and several others around it caught fire. Loki sped off, leaving her on the rooftop. She considered following him, but when she looked down, she saw all the Chitauri on the buildings, trying to break their way into the buildings, Bri knew it was her duty to protect the people.  
She floated downwards, sending deadly blasts of fire at any Chitauri in eye line. They turned their weapons on her, but she was too quick while flying to get hit again. Suddenly, a chariot flew past her, a woman with flaming red hair on the back.  
“What the hell Natasha…?” muttered Bri, going back to incineration.


	11. Chapter 11

She fought off more, turning around, gliding through the air, almost terrifying the enemy. Suddenly, she hear Natasha’s voice through the headset, “I can close it! Can anyone body hear me? I can shut the portal down!”  
“Do it!” said Steve voice.  
“No wait,” Tony’s said quickly.  
“Stark these things are still coming!” cried Captain.  
“I’ve got a nuke almost right overhead. It’s going to blow in a minute.” Explained Tony.  
“And that’s the perfect place to put it.” Finished Bri, watching as the bomb approached.  
In an instant, several things flew threw her mind. The first was that she was closest to the missile, second, that was she was thinking about doing was incredibly dangerous. And third, she didn’t have any other choice. If that bomb went off, it would wipe out the whole city. What was one dead hero to save millions?  
Using her fire, she sent a controlled blast to propel her upwards, to catch the missile.  
“Bri, are you nuts?” asked Natasha.  
“I thought we had established that by now.” Sai Bri with a tense laugh, her hand burst with fire, as she sped towards the portal.  
“Bri…that’s a one way trip.” Said Tony.  
“Oh I know, Tony, oh god do I know.”  
She wouldn’t say goodbye, just go. She wouldn’t have to courage if she did. Bri took a deep breath, holding it in before she flew through the portal. She looked up in horror, the rest of the army, millions more were waiting to get in. She let go of the missile, and it drifted towards the main base. She felt strength leaving her, and her mind going blank. But the pain in her leg, and her heart, was gone. She looked up at the millions of stars in the sky, they were brighter than she’d ever seen them before. She was in a whole other universe. She thought, looking up in awe, as she felt red from holding her breath. This isn’t a bad to die.  
Above her, the main base exploded when the missile went off. She smiled, a single tear running down her cheek. This is okay, this is good.   
I’ve saved them.  
She let go of the breath, and fell down into an endless void. Her wings flashing red and yellow, and orange in the dark sky.  
Her eyes went black.

 

Steve looked around, all the Chitauri and the Leviathan’s were collapsing around him. He looked hopefully at the sky, hoping to see Bri coming down, safe and sound.  
He’d promised her they’d make it out alive.  
From the portal, a massive supernova was coming towards them, from the bomb going off, he couldn’t let it through. “Close it.” He whispered, his heart breaking as he said it. There was no way she could be alive.  
The portal closed, leaving only one trace, a small figure falling towards earth. Steve smiled, “Bri…” he whispered.  
Thor realized something was wrong, “She not slowing down,” he said, spinning his hammer, ready to catch her.  
Suddenly, a massive green figure leaped through the air, catching Bri, and landing on the ground. The Hulk brushed her off him, and he broken form landed on the pavement. Iron Man landed on the ground, besides them all. They looked at her body, unmoving, no sign of life. Steve bowed his head.

 

There was a white light, it cut through the blackness. Bri reached towards it. She thought she saw figures standing there, her mother, and father, and her little brother. They might not be blood, but they were her family. They were standing through the veil of white, waiting for Bri to join them. She smiled, it’s time, it’s okay.   
Before she could go further, a loud roar cut through her thoughts, jarring her awake. 

 

Bri’s dull brown eyes flashed open. “What-what happened?” she asked.  
“We won.” Said Steve.  
“But-the light, the white light. They were there, I saw them again…” her voice was barely a whisper. “My parents, and I-I was dead.”  
Tony looked at her eyes, something had shattered in them. “Hey, hey.” He said quickly, forcing her to look at him, “How about we just don’t come in tomorrow? We’ll take a day off. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it. How about that?”  
Bri looked at him, a ghost of a smile on her lips.  
“We’re not finished yet.” Said Thor gravely.  
“And shawarma after?” asked Tony.

 

Loki groaned as he got up after the Hulk had smashed him. He turned around, and saw seven very angry people glaring at him.  
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll have that drink now.” He told Tony, holding his hands up in surrender.

 

The news reports were crazy. All different theories of who the Avengers were, and if it was their fault for the war. Bri was surprised, and slightly pleased, when she saw fans getting their bodies tattooed with her phoenix one. On one report she saw the man that she saved being interviewed, “So, Alec, what do you have to say on the Avengers?” asked the reporter.  
He looked at the camera, “All I can say, is if she’s watching, I want to say thank you, Phoenix, thank you so much.”  
She switched the T.V. off, and looked down. She was wearing shorts, so it revealed her legs, and she swung the leg around, and looked at the disgusting blackened bits. It was a deep wound, but there had been limited blood loss, she simply needed to rest a few days. It could’ve been worse. She stared out the window of Stark Towers, watching the city below.

 

All of the Avengers, Selvig, and Loki, who was muzzled and cuffed, stood in the middle of central park. Thor and Loki were leaving. On the way to the center, Tor walked besides Bri. “You saw a different world, not many humans could handle such a thing.” He said.  
Bri looked up at him, “Some are stronger than you think.”  
“I know. There is one Midgardian that I met, her name is Jane Foster.”  
Bri noticed his expressions, and almost laughed, “Do you…like her?” she asked curiously.  
“She is a fine maiden.” He replied.  
Thor smiled at her, and turned round to shake hands with everyone before he went. He gave Selvig a hug.  
Tony opened the Tesseract case, and Bruce took it out, and carefully put it in the glass case held by Thor and Loki.  
Thor nodded once more, and he and his brother vanished back to Asgard.   
As the group started splitting up, Tony came up to Bri. “Ever been to London?” he asked,  
“What?” she asked, “No.”  
“Well, aren’t you lucky? A private plane will meet you at the airport in an hour. The taxi’s on its way.” Tony said, grinning.  
“What?”  
He handed a slip of paper. “Don’t worry, just go to this address, it’s one of my vacationing homes, but I never go there. You can borrow it.”  
Bri looked at him in shock, “What? No Tony, I can’t accept this.”  
“’Course you can,” he winked at her,  
“Tony…” she tried to shove the paper back in his hands.  
“All yours sweetheart.”  
“You can’t-“  
“I just did.”  
“Damn it Stark.” She snapped.  
He laughed, “Enjoy London.”  
“How am I supposed to repay you?” Bri asked, looking at the address.  
“Well, I might just have to go to London for something…”  
“So, keep a room ready for your unexpected visits?” she asked.  
“Exactly,” he smiled, and walked over to his car.  
Bruce held his hands together, still a little jumpy. He was still smiling, which was good. He held something in his hands. When he came up to her, he held it out. “I, uh, did a bit of research about the Elementally Gifted.” He said nervously, almost like he was worried she was going to be mad, ironically.  
Bri glanced at the notes. “I printed some off for you. From what I can tell, the rebel in the government sent four children back in time. Two male and two female. There across the country, China, South Africa, New Zealand, and of course, America. The man in South Africa controls the earth, the man in New Zealand controls water, and the woman in China controls air.”  
“So, I’m not alone.” She whispered.  
“You never have been.” Bruce told her.  
She looked at him gratefully, tucking the folder under her arm. “Thank you.” She said, and then after a heartbeat, she gave him a hug. Bruce was a little tense at first, and then relaxed.   
“Goodbye.” Said Bri  
He smiled, and went to join Tony   
Her taxi came rolling up the drive.  
Steve saluted her, and he jumped on his motorbike. Tony and Bruce were in Stark’s sports car, Clint and Natasha loaded up in a SHEILD van. She jumped in the taxi, and smiled. She’d never known a family for a long time. But that right there, that was a good start.  
“Take me to the airport,” she told the cab driver.  
He rolled out of the park, and Bri watched the world roll by, her tattoo seemed brighter than usual…and blurry. She raised her hand to wipe the tears away slightly embarrassed. She looked back at the Avengers, and sighed.  
Time to be reborn again.

………………………………………………………………..

“Is she tracked?”   
“Yes sir, she’s in London at the moment. Do we move in?” said the assistant.  
“No, it would unwise at the present time to attack. Let her come to us.” The man was in the shadows, his face was obscured.  
“And how will we do that sir?”   
A pause for a moment.  
“We unleash His powers.” He decided.  
“Are you sure that’s quite saf-?” worried the assistant.  
“Of course it’s not safe, but all’s fair in love and war…and this is most definitely the latter.”

………………………………………………………………..

 

Bri Russells will return.


End file.
